Letter to the Editor: Air Pollution due to Traffic

Sunday, January 31st, 2016

Dear Editor, We have been watching the local news about unhealthy air pollution in Beijing-China, New Delhi-India and other crowded cities. We visited San Pedro for a week. While driving our rental golf cart from the Southern part of the island into San Pedro, we experienced the air pollution on the Main Street. Unfortunately, we were caught behind a large truck and had to breathe the exhaust fumes all the way into town and the dust is created. We believe that the beauty of this island should be preserved by enforcing certain restrictions on vehicles. Also, the roads would not be so damaged if the larger vehicles were restricted from the main road. Because of this, we tried our best not to venture into town often. Also, as tourists, the speed of vehicles overtaking the golf cart made trips into town stressful. The opposite of what we would expect for an island that thrives on tourism. We chose Ambergris Caye because of its location and the ease of access to town. We are sadden because the next trip we plan, it may be worse as it tries to compete with modern tourism standards. The beauty and serenity should be maintained and preserved to ensure the longevity of this amazing place. Third-world traffic conditions are not what we expected for an island vacation. Please forward my concerns to your Health Department. We would love to see Ambergris Caye thrive, but keep true to the island culture. Thank you for your time. Aaron and Jessica Lockhart Dallas, TX, USA